Stormy Start to Australian Formula Ford Series Season Finale at Phillip Island

Kobi Williams (#94 ACMF Finance Spectrum) has won a weather-affected Race 1 at Trico Phillip Island, the first of three races in the final round of the 2024 Australian Formula Ford Series. BF Racing Racing stablemates Liam Loiacono (#43) and Lachlan Evennett (#88) converted their 1-2 race starts to second and third on the podium in what was a wet and wild race on Saturday.

Qualifying 

Australian Formula Ford Series drivers made the most of a full day of practice on Friday at Trico Phillip Island to hit the ground running in morning’s sunny and blustery qualifying session. In what is the final round of the national series in 2024, Liam Loiacono (#43 BF Racing Mygale) set the stage for the weekend’s battles with a 1:36.9524 at the top of the timing charts.

Lachlan Evennett (#88 BF Racing-ottostyle Myglae) set the pace early in the red-flag shortened session, with a 1:37.2589, with championship leader Eddie Beswick (#30 Synergy Motorsport Spectrum) almost 10 seconds off the pace as the field crossed the timing line for the first time. 

However, it didn’t take long for Evennett’s BF Racing teammate Loiacono to reset the quickest time on the timing chart just moments later and claim his second pole position of the year, for a BF Racing front-row lockout.

Full qualifying results are below

Tyres & More Pole Award - Liam Loiacono #43 BF Racing Mygale

Race 1

Racing conditions couldn’t have been different to the qualifying runs, with the rain falling in earnest at the race start, forcing the field to complete the first few laps of the race under Safety Car. The torrential rain caused an electrical issue for Joe Fawcett on the out lap, with the ECU on the #23 KONSTRUCT Spectrum succumbing to the wet conditions. Unable to restart, the #23 was taken back to pit lane.

Loiacono got the jump as the green flag flew with just six minutes go, taking control of the race through the treacherous track conditions. Behind Loiacono, Evennett, Williams and Cody Maynes-Rutty (#69 Synergy Motorsport, Allotrac & CMR Motorsport Aus Spectrum) were jostling for position. On the next lap, Maynes-Rutty took the outside line around Evennett, bringing Williams along for the ride and shuffling the #88 into fourth. 

With just moments to go, Maynes-Rutty would run wide, opening the door for Williams to move into second. Williams took advantage of his new-found track position and strong pace setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:58.6350 before making a late race pass for the lead stick.

Eddie Beswick (#30 Synergy Motorsport Spectrum) was unable to put a representative lap together in the red-flag shortened qualifying session and started the race from the middle of the pack. He dropped a wheel into the grass just after the green flag running commenced, sending the series leader down the order, where he would ultimately cross the line in 14th.

Full race 1 results 

Beswick maintains the series lead coming into the final two races of the 2024 Australian Formula Ford Series, which continues Sunday with Race 2 (9.30am AEDT) and Race 3 (1.15pm AEDT). You can watch all of this weekend’s racing live on Blend Line TV, thanks to True Steel Frames, State Crane Trucks, and Spectrum Racing Cars.

Main photo credit: Phil Wisewould Photography